Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 41 counties in anticipation of Tropical Cyclone Nine, which is expected to intensify into a Category 2 or 3 hurricane by Thursday. The storm is predicted to impact the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend region,

Declaring a state of emergency allows state and local governments much more freedom to coordinate their emergency agencies.

Forecasters warned residents along Florida’s Gulf coast of potential Hurricane Helene, which is expected to form in the next 48 hours and track toward an area somewhere between Tampa and Pensacola late in the week.